TMBIABHL: Chapter 15

 Character & Term Glossary

· Ye Chutang (叶初棠): The female protagonist, a reborn heir to an ancient medical family. The "Black-Hearted Lotus." Reveals surprising combat skills in this chapter.

· Shen Yanchuan (沈延川): The male lead. A nobleman targeted by assassins. Observant and perceptive.

· Lian Zhou (连舟): Shen Yanchuan's attendant/guard, a member of the elite Black Cavalry Guard (黑骑卫).

· Black Cavalry Guard (黑骑卫): An elite guard unit serving Shen Yanchuan. Only seven members in total.

· Cao Chengwen (曹成文): The eldest son of the Cao family. Revealed to be the one who hired the thugs.

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Chapter 15: Delicate Flower

Shen Yanchuan ultimately bought the lantern.

Its faint glow illuminated his figure, truly a gentleman like fine jade.

The street remained lively, but Shen Yanchuan seemed somewhat tired and began walking back, carrying the lantern.

As they passed through a small alley, the noise gradually faded away.

Just as they turned a corner, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air!

Lian Zhou's heart tightened, and he immediately drew his sword!

Clang!

A sharp, clashing sound rang out, jarring in the quiet corner.

Shen Yanchuan stood still, glancing down at the ground.

It was a steel nail about an inch long, launched with immense speed. If it had hit its mark, it could have embedded itself directly into bone.

The moon hung in the western sky, its cold light shining down. The steel nail reflected a faint, eerie glint, sending chills down one's spine.

A slight curve touched Shen Yanchuan's lips.

"How thoughtful, chasing me all the way from Huizhou to here."

Several figures appeared silently. They were all lean and sturdy, wearing veiled hats that obscured their faces.

The one at the front snorted coldly, his voice harsh and gravelly.

"You're tenacious, I'll give you that!"

Last time, Shen Yanchuan had narrowly escaped, severely injured. They all thought he was surely dead. Who would have guessed he was still alive!

Shen Yanchuan smiled slightly. "I must thank your associate for showing mercy."

Hearing this, the leader's heart sank.

The potent poison Shen Yanchuan was afflicted with last time, according to that person, was fundamentally incurable.

He suffered two serious wounds, and the poison had penetrated his organs. There was absolutely no chance of survival!

But now, Shen Yanchuan was standing right before them, perfectly fine!

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

They had previously suspected a traitor had switched the poison, allowing Shen Yanchuan to escape death. Now, hearing his words, they felt even more uneasy.

The lead man snorted coldly. "You think I'll believe whatever you say!? Stop trying to sow discord! Instead of that, you should spend this time thinking about how you're going to die tonight!"

Shen Yanchuan seemed utterly indifferent to his words, smiling faintly. "Just a joke, why so serious? Or is it... one of you really did switch sides?"

His tone was light and casual; an unknowing person might think he was chatting amiably with an old acquaintance.

Yet every word he spoke was like a stone weighing on the other party's heart, unsettling and extremely uncomfortable.

There had long been rumors that this Shen Yanchuan was profoundly shrewd and unpredictable. Seeing him today confirmed it!

His words mixed truth and falsehood, making them hard to judge.

Better to resolve this quickly!

The lead man was unwilling to engage with Shen Yanchuan any further.

"Rumors say the seven masters of the Black Cavalry Guard are all highly skilled in martial arts. Now only one remains by your side. Let me see how he plans to hold off multiple opponents alone!"

Lian Zhou's grip on his sword tightened gradually, a cold glint appearing in his eyes.

His aura had changed the moment he saw these men, faintly exuding a bloodthirsty ferocity.

This was also the first time these men were facing Lian Zhou directly. Seeing this situation, they felt inexplicably uneasy.

Clearly, they had the advantage in numbers, but...

Shen Yanchuan suddenly said, "Have you ever considered why, of all people, it's Lian Zhou who remains by my side?"

The men were momentarily stunned by the question.

But before they could react, Lian Zhou's figure had already vanished from his original spot!

"If you want to touch my Master,you'll have to get past my sword first!"

...

Blades flashed, sword shadows weaved. A cold wind whistled.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Shen Yanchuan stood waiting quietly, even feeling somewhat bored.

Suddenly, as if hearing something, he tilted his head slightly to the right.

On the other side of the wall, faint noises could be heard.

It sounded like a fight.

Shen Yanchuan's eyebrow rose slightly, finding it somewhat interesting.

He had specifically chosen this secluded spot, never expecting someone else had the same idea.

After listening for another moment, Shen Yanchuan had a rough estimate of the situation over there.

Three against one, and the one fighting alone was more skilled—coincidentally, just like his own situation.

But over there, there were clearly five people. Besides the four fighting, there was one with very light, shallow breathing, almost like that of a young child.

...What decent person has a brawl in front of a child?

Shen Yanchuan felt this person was rather inconsiderate.

But this was someone else's business, and he couldn't be bothered.

Shen Yanchuan looked up at the sky.

The moon hung over the willow tops. They needed to hurry, otherwise, if the Spring Lantern Festival ended before they got back to the clinic, it might arouse suspicion.

Best to avoid unnecessary trouble—Thud!

A dull thud suddenly came from the other side of the wall, accompanied by a groan of pain.

"Ugh... ah..."

Thud!

Another sound.

The man's voice instantly weakened, barely audible through the wall.

Shen Yanchuan's eyelid twitched.

The person handling this was quite swift and decisive, probably slamming someone against the wall. No messing around.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

The noise over there soon ceased, as if the matter was resolved.

Quite fast.

Just as Shen Yanchuan thought this, the next second, he heard a gentle, clear, young woman's voice.

"Now, can you talk?"

A flicker of surprise passed through Shen Yanchuan's eyes.

Ye Chutang?

...

On the other side, the three men who had intended to attack Ye Chutang were all lying on the ground. Two were knocked out cold, and the remaining one, his face covered in blood with several large bumps on his head, knelt down, clutching his head in utter terror.

"I-I was just paid to do a job! The person that day was wearing a mask! I don't know him, I really don't!"

Ye Chutang took out a handkerchief and meticulously wiped her hands, looking down at him.

"Is that so?"

Her tone was extremely light, as if asking casually, but to the listener, it carried an inexplicable, terrifying tremor.

The man never could have imagined, before coming here, that several grown man joining forces couldn't defeat a seemingly weak young woman in her late teens!

He kowtowed frantically, begging for mercy. "I beg you! Spare us! We—"

Ye Chutang smiled. "I'm easy to deal with. After all, murder is against the law. But if you go back tonight, can you really keep your lives? Cao Chengwen doesn't seem like the reasonable type, does he?"

The man said urgently, "No! He said he'd pay regardless of success or—"

His voice cut off abruptly, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

Ye Chutang nodded in understanding. "So it really was him."

She wasn't surprised by this result; after all, he was the only one she had recently crossed.

The man, realizing he had revealed the employer's identity, trembled like a sieve.

Having easily extracted the answer, Ye Chutang wasn't particularly happy but rather felt a bit regretful.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

"What a pity..."

She had thought it might be...

The man, of course, didn't understand what she meant by "pity" and was rendered speechless.

Ye Chutang stepped forward, delivered a chop to the neck, and the man also fell completely unconscious.

Only then did she look to the left, asking through the wall, "Has Young Master Shen heard enough?"

After a brief silence, footsteps approached.

A tall, straight figure appeared at the corner.

Moon-white brocade robes, a peerless young noble.

Their eyes met, an undercurrent seeming to flow between them.

Acting as if he didn't see the blood on the ground or the three unconscious men, Shen Yanchuan was the first to speak with a faint smile. "Physician Ye, impressive skills. However, it might be better to be gentler next time. After all—" the child is still here.

Ye Chutang's dark, gentle eyes looked at him calmly as she nodded seriously.

"I understand. I'll be more careful next time, so as not to startle Young Master Shen."

Shen Yanchuan's smile froze slightly.

(End of Chapter)

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Translator's Note: check out my other work— My Younger Sister Insisted On A Marriage Exchange Wanting To Make Me The Wife Of A Marquis and Rebirth as the Matriarch of a Noble Family (⁠*⁠＾⁠3⁠＾⁠)⁠/⁠～⁠♡

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